Trading Josh Green or Jaden Hardy were non-starters, according to a report

The Dallas Mavericks and their fanbase are still celebrating a successful draft night. Before the NBA draft, several rumors were connecting the Dallas Mavericks and the Atlanta Hawks. The foundation of a deal between the two teams included the Mavericks trading the 10th pick to the Hawks and the Hawks trading the 15th pick to the Mavericks.

Tim MacMahon, on a recent episode of The Hoop Collective went on to confirm the following on trade talks that went on between Dallas and Atlanta.

Dallas got two first-round picks and were able to still come out on top this year as far as the salary shifting enough so to where they went from being a taxpayer mid-level team to a full mid-level team, which is a massive difference in being able to add another rotation player, potentially even a starter. And there was a lot of stuff out there about, like, for example, the Mavericks having discussions with the Hawks, which they absolutely did. Breaking news. The Hawks are trying to dump John Collins. Guess what? They were trying to dump them before they gave him this huge extension. They’ve been trying to dump them since the ink was dry. The Mavericks asked for Clint Capella. My understanding is the Hawks asked for the Mavericks to throw in Josh Green or Jaden Hardy, which is that’s a no- go. Those are young players that the Mavericks really like. So instead of doing something like that, they drafted a guy who they believe can become a Capella type of player.

This wasn’t the first time the Mavericks were unwilling to move Josh Green and Jaden Hardy in recent months. Back during the season after the Kyrie Irving trade, the Athletic's Tim Cato confirmed the following about the Maverick's young core.

Several sources indicated the team prioritized Josh Green, a blossoming 22-year-old wing, to not being included in the trade despite Brooklyn’s strong interest in him. Dallas also made sure to hold onto rookie guard Jaden Hardy, a raw combo guard who currently has minor trade value, but meaningful upside in the coming seasons.

It feels like it’s been ages since the Dallas Mavericks have had young assets on their basketball that teams actually want to be included in trades. Dallas might be more aware of asset management and gradually demonstrate to their fanbase that they are willing to alter its team-building strategy. Let’s hope that’s the case going into the 2023-2024 NBA season.